Minnesota Twins beat Rockies to finish first half on up note

DENVER -- This was Phil Hughes' first opportunity to pitch at Coors Field.

Pardon him if he isn't looking forward to returning anytime soon.

Handed a five-run lead before he ever took the mound Sunday afternoon, the Twins' ace right-hander struggled through five innings but held on for a 13-5 win over the Colorado Rockies.

Hughes (10-5) gave back two runs apiece in the first and second innings, but he managed to pull things together as the hot afternoon wore on.

"I didn't like it very much," Hughes said. "It's different. To be honest, you really feel for the guys that have to pitch here all the time."

The Twins had a season-high 18 hits and closed out a 5-2 road trip and reached the all-star break with a 44-50 record.

Minnesota Twins' Brian Dozier follows the flight of his solo home run to lead off the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies in the Twins' 13-5 victory in an interleague baseball game in Denver on Sunday, July 13, 2014. Dozier followed up with a three-run home run in the ninth inning to hit two home runs in the game. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

That's their best showing at the break since 2010, when they reached that point at 46-42 and 3-1/2 games out of first place in the American League Central.

The past three years, the Twins reached the break a combined 34 games under .500. They were 39-53 last year, 36-49 in 2012 and 41-48 in 2011.

Over his final five first-half starts, Hughes pitched to a 6.32 earned-run average but still managed to go 3-2. He is the first Twins pitcher to reach the break with 10 or more wins since Carl Pavano in 2010.

"He was just fighting to get through it," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He got through it. That's persevering."

Pavano, who beat the Tigers in Detroit to move to 10-6 on the final day of the first half that year, finished at 17-11.

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Hughes reached the break at 11-2 and 9-7, respectively, in 2010 and 2012. He finished those years 18-8 and 16-13 for the New York Yankees.

"I think nowadays with all the different stats in baseball, wins are kind of losing their luster a little bit," Hughes said. "Nevertheless, it's certainly an accomplishment and one I'm proud of. Ten wins is nothing to be ashamed of in a first half."

Brian Dozier added a pair of late-inning homers, giving him 18 for the season and tying a career high he set last year. It would seem he is in good form for Monday's Home Run Derby at Target Field.

Seven Twins banged out base hits in the top of the first off Rockies left-hander Brett Anderson (0-3), making his first big-league start in three months due to a broken left index finger.

Chris Parmelee, fresh off ending a 0-for-28 start with runners in scoring position, ripped a two-run single up the middle to get things rolling. That gave the Twins right fielder four runs batted in over a span of two clutch at-bats.

Eduardo Escobar followed with a two-run double and Sam Fuld added an RBI single as the Twins batted around.

Fuld reached safely in four trips and added a sacrifice fly. Since banging his right hip in Seattle on Monday, he went 9 for 16 (.563) with a homer, four RBIs and eight walks.

Trevor Plouffe fell a homer shy of the cycle, but he did have a Little League "homer" in the fifth. Plouffe, who doubled in the first, launched a triple to deep right center and was waved home when D.J. LeMahieu's throw from second caromed into the visiting dugout.

The Rockies nearly tied the game in the third after Justin Morneau reached third with one out. However, Corey Dickerson's fly ball to left was too shallow and Wilin Rosario struck out to end the threat.

Another chance to tie was wasted in the fourth, when Carlos Gonzalez swung at strike three in the dirt and was narrowly thrown out at first by Kurt Suzuki. Charlie Blackmon would have scored from second had Gonzalez been ruled safe, but replay review upheld the call.

The Rockies went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

Morneau, who made four all-star appearances in his 11 seasons with the Twins, had a three-hit day to finish the series with four hits in 13 at-bats. Morneau battled Hughes through a 10-pitch at-bat in the first before dumping an RBI single in front of a diving Josh Willingham in left.

Suzuki, about to enjoy his first turn as an all-star catcher, absorbed painful foul tips twice in a span of three pitches with Rosario batting in the fifth. Each time head athletic trainer Dave Pruemer came out to check on Suzuki, who hobbled out to the mound the first time to buy himself a few seconds to recover.

Suzuki stayed in and threw out an attempted base stealer the next inning.

Sam Deduno, who spent nearly eight full years in the Rockies organization, worked a scoreless sixth as four Twins relievers handled the final four innings. Closer Glen Perkins got an all-star tune-up with a scoreless ninth.